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Artist who helped set political tone of her time
By Xu Wenwen |
April 4, 2013, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
ONE of the first female students in modern China to study art aboard, He Xiangning (1878-1972) combined being a famous artist with social activism, rubbing shoulders with many of the biggest names of Chinese modern history - including artists, military commanders, educationists and politicians.
Born in Hong Kong, He was the wife of Liao Zhongkai, a Kuomintang leader and financier. During the 1920s and 1930s, she lived and worked in Shanghai, Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province and Nanjing in Jiangsu Province, creating many artworks with strong political content.
A touring exhibition of He's work showing at Zhejiang Art Museum in Hangzhou features 36 paintings by the renowned artist, plus historical documents about her life in Zhejiang, Shanghai and Jiangsu.
"Many people know He was an artist who created a great number of paintings, yet are not aware that she played an important political role in Chinese modern history," says Le Zhengwei, vice director of the He Xiangning Art Museum in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province.
The exhibition, running through to April 9, is sponsored by the He Xiangning Art Museum and Zhejiang Art Museum.
The 36 exhibits are representative works of He in different periods, accompanied by information on the works and their historic background.
He studied art in Japan during her 30s, and as the exhibition shows, her work in the 1910s have influences of Japanese traditional painting.
Her return to China saw elements of her native land influence He's work - such as her brush technique - while Japanese traits can still be seen.
She did many paintings of lions and tigers as metaphors of China's turmoil at the time.
Featured in the exhibition is "Tiger," a small work that was He's first painting of the big cat. It was a gift to Huang Xing, a Chinese revolutionary leader, and the first army commander-in-chief of the Republic of China.
In addition to giving paintings to leading figures of the time, He worked in collaboration with many.
For example, historian, poet, artist and activist Liu Yazi inscribed on more than 100 pieces by He.
Also, she worked with painters Chen Shuren and Jing Hengyi for "Pine, Bamboo and Plum" scrolls, included in the exhibition.
Jing was founder of the Friends of Coldness Art Society and He, Chen and scholar Yu Youren were important members.
The society held many exhibitions then and was especially influential in Zhejiang and Shanghai.
"Due to the large impact of the society, the exhibition also focuses the interaction among its members," says Fang Hua, the curator.
So for the show's poster, organizers picked "Mountain and Water" background, created by He in 1929 at Baima Lake in Hangzhou, a favorite spot of society members.
In her later years, He worked with her son Liao Chengzhi; she painted mountain-and-water paintings while Liao painted figures.
She was also the third chairman of China Artists Association, following big names Xu Beihong and Qi Baishi.
Another current exhibition at Zhejiang Art Museum is "Tranquil Writing - Dialogue between West and East," which features an artistic dialogue between artists Franck Duminil from France and China's Zhang Mu.
At first glance their work seems to have little in common, featuring different materials and techniques.
Duminil's work on show are extremely abstract, with lots of vague colors converging, and containing geometric figures.
Zhang's pieces are ink-wash paintings featuring vague grey images, which look like mountains and water when viewed from a distance, but abstract close-up.
"I think both artists' works are of the Zen spirit and universal spirit, and that's why I made the dialogue," says curator Jin Zhenchen.
Date: Both exhibitions run through to April 9 (closed on Monday)
Address: 138 Nanshan Rd
Tel: (0571) 8707-8700
Born in Hong Kong, He was the wife of Liao Zhongkai, a Kuomintang leader and financier. During the 1920s and 1930s, she lived and worked in Shanghai, Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province and Nanjing in Jiangsu Province, creating many artworks with strong political content.
A touring exhibition of He's work showing at Zhejiang Art Museum in Hangzhou features 36 paintings by the renowned artist, plus historical documents about her life in Zhejiang, Shanghai and Jiangsu.
"Many people know He was an artist who created a great number of paintings, yet are not aware that she played an important political role in Chinese modern history," says Le Zhengwei, vice director of the He Xiangning Art Museum in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province.
The exhibition, running through to April 9, is sponsored by the He Xiangning Art Museum and Zhejiang Art Museum.
The 36 exhibits are representative works of He in different periods, accompanied by information on the works and their historic background.
He studied art in Japan during her 30s, and as the exhibition shows, her work in the 1910s have influences of Japanese traditional painting.
Her return to China saw elements of her native land influence He's work - such as her brush technique - while Japanese traits can still be seen.
She did many paintings of lions and tigers as metaphors of China's turmoil at the time.
Featured in the exhibition is "Tiger," a small work that was He's first painting of the big cat. It was a gift to Huang Xing, a Chinese revolutionary leader, and the first army commander-in-chief of the Republic of China.
In addition to giving paintings to leading figures of the time, He worked in collaboration with many.
For example, historian, poet, artist and activist Liu Yazi inscribed on more than 100 pieces by He.
Also, she worked with painters Chen Shuren and Jing Hengyi for "Pine, Bamboo and Plum" scrolls, included in the exhibition.
Jing was founder of the Friends of Coldness Art Society and He, Chen and scholar Yu Youren were important members.
The society held many exhibitions then and was especially influential in Zhejiang and Shanghai.
"Due to the large impact of the society, the exhibition also focuses the interaction among its members," says Fang Hua, the curator.
So for the show's poster, organizers picked "Mountain and Water" background, created by He in 1929 at Baima Lake in Hangzhou, a favorite spot of society members.
In her later years, He worked with her son Liao Chengzhi; she painted mountain-and-water paintings while Liao painted figures.
She was also the third chairman of China Artists Association, following big names Xu Beihong and Qi Baishi.
Another current exhibition at Zhejiang Art Museum is "Tranquil Writing - Dialogue between West and East," which features an artistic dialogue between artists Franck Duminil from France and China's Zhang Mu.
At first glance their work seems to have little in common, featuring different materials and techniques.
Duminil's work on show are extremely abstract, with lots of vague colors converging, and containing geometric figures.
Zhang's pieces are ink-wash paintings featuring vague grey images, which look like mountains and water when viewed from a distance, but abstract close-up.
"I think both artists' works are of the Zen spirit and universal spirit, and that's why I made the dialogue," says curator Jin Zhenchen.
Date: Both exhibitions run through to April 9 (closed on Monday)
Address: 138 Nanshan Rd
Tel: (0571) 8707-8700
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